Changes to the Navigable Waters Protection Act, like any legislation, needs to be updated. However, the way proposed changes are unsettling.
Changes to the Navigable Waters Protection Act, like any legislation, needs to be updated. However, the way proposed changes are worded and made known to the paddling and outdoors community is unsettling.
Proposed changes will mean anyone could build a dam or fence a “minor waters” creek or river watershed without concern for any environmental impacts they may cause. This will also cause obstructed access to many of our favourite waterways.
Erhard Kraus, the former environmental representative for the Wilderness Canoe Association became aware of the situation and on May 21 posted the item on the WCA’s MyCCR Environmental forum.
Mr. Kraus enquired whether any of the paddling organizations were notified of the committees’ efforts to change the Act and the response from secretary Maxime Ricard was even more unsettling.
“The letter inviting stakeholders to send written briefs to the Committee was sent to a variety of organizations, but I do not think there were any paddling organizations included in the list we contacted.”
Mr. Kraus was informed that the deadline to submit comments to the committee was May 26, 2008, or May 28, 2008 if it was provided in both official languages.
The three known articles of contention from the Speaking notes deal with the changing in definition to exclude “minor waters” and to exclude “minor works” and to remove the four named “works”—bridge, boom, dam, and causeway—from the Act, thus changing the definition of what is navigable and what it is protected from.
For more details visit Waterkeeper.ca web site at, http://waterkeeper.ca/documents/LETTER_STAKEHOLDERS%20(EN).pdf
The stakeholders are not listed so it is impossible to know who they are. The one thing we do know is that no one representing the interests of the paddling and outdoor community was invited.—Jeff McColl
